Multispectral Thermal Imager (MTI) Space Cryocooler Development, Integration, and Test

This paper presents the selection rationale, development, flight qualification, flight integration, and characterization testing for the Multispectral Thermal Imager (MTI) cryocooler. The MTI program is a technology demonstration effort led by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) under the sponsorship of the Department of Energy. As part of this effort, Sandia will build, deploy, and operate a small satellite, the core of which is a telescope and focal plane that is cooled to 75 Kelvin using a TRW supplied pulse tube cryocooler. This application, a milestone in the application of active cryocooling, is intended to demonstrate the utility of large capacity, non-split, cryocoolers for space missions.